US concedes Pakistan's terror links

Welcoming the proposed joint terror mechanism, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher on Friday, said some terrorist groups responsible for attacks in India, including the recent Mumbai blasts, have "origins" and "links" in Pakistan. But he refused to comment on the nature of available evidence linking Pakistan to acts of terror in India.

Boucher insisted India has not given the US details or shared intelligence on Pakistani involvement in terrorist acts in India, and maintained the two neighbours should sort out these issues among themselves. "The Mumbai blasts and the series of attacks in India highlight the need to deal with the problem of terrorism," said Boucher, who discussed terrorism and problems in the neighbourhood with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.

Shortly after the blasts, Boucher had cautioned India against "jumping the gun" on blaming Pakistan.

"Many of the links that are talked about go back to their origin and ties in Pakistan... We need to work together against terrorism through effective actions so people in India do not suffer from these blasts," he said, adding that all groups blamed for terrorism in India have been banned in Pakistan too. He was responding to queries on forthcoming talks between the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan.

Boucher also said the Al-Qaeda was operating in the region in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan.